After graduating from Yale University, Sarah Sentilles joined Teach for America and was assigned to a rundown elementary school in Compton, California. Through moving portraits of inspiring children, Sentilles relates a heartbreaking journey, as she learns about a failing school system, the true meaning of poverty in America, and the strength children exhibit when they&#39;re just struggling to survive. Beautifully written, charged with love and indignation, Taught by America is a powerful tribute to the young lives Sentilles witnessed.<BR><BR>&quot;This is a poignant, touching memoir from a natural-born teacher. The education of Sarah Sentilles is something we can all learn from.&quot;<BR>&mdash;Geoffrey Canada, author of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun and president of Harlem Children&#39;s Zone, Inc.<BR><BR>&quot;Sentilles gives a stirring description of working in one of our poorest school systems . . . A] profoundly moving book.&quot;<BR>&mdash;Library Journal (starred review)<BR><BR>&quot;Hauntingly eloquent, this memoir raises chilling questions about race, social privilege, failing schools, and the loss of innocence. Sentilles&#39;s reflections on her students, their families, and the education they (don&#39;t) receive stays with you long after her story ends. This is a wakeup call that we as a nation cannot afford to ignore.&quot;<BR>&mdash;Janie Victoria Ward, author of The Skin We&#39;re In<BR><BR>Sarah Sentilles graduated from Yale University in 1995 and earned her master&#39;s in 2001 from Harvard Divinity School. She is currently working on her doctoratein theology. Sentilles lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is her first book.